“Are you saying I’m not perfect?”Kael teased.
Nymon opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off, but before he could, he was interrupted.
“We can’t do that,” someone snapped loudly enough that Kael and Nymon heard him.The demon sounded close enough to be in the greenhouse, which wasn’t the case.That meant he had to be on the other side of the fence that surrounded Nymon’s backyard.It wasn’t a path many demons used.In fact, Nymon was surprised to hear that anyone was there.
He and Kael exchanged a glance.Kael leaned over, trying to get a peek through the slits between the pieces of wood that made up the fence through the open greenhouse window.Nymon rolled his eyes but did the same.He was curious, too.If these two demons didn’t want anyone to hear them, they shouldn’t be talking in Nymon’s backyard.
“It would be easier than leaving town every time,” a second voice said.“I don’t know about you, but sneaking out is getting old.”
“Getting old?You do realize that if someone catches us, it’ll be the end of this operation, right?”
“You can’t know that.I don’t think anyone cares.The only people who do are human, and it’s not like they can do anything to us here.”
“Do you want to risk someone trying to stop us or getting money out of us?”the first voice asked.
“Hell no.”
“Then you better keep your mouth shut and continue working for humans without involving anyone else.I swear, if you get this operation taken down because you’re lazy, I’ll kill you.”
Nymon and Kael looked at each other again.The threat had sounded serious, not like when Kael and Nymon joked around.Something told Nymon that these two weren’t friends, yet it was obvious that they worked together a lot because of their familiarity.
It was also obvious that whatever they were doing, it wasn’t good.
Unfortunately, Nymon didn’t get to hear anything else.The two walked away, and their voices faded as Nymon struggled to hear.He was tempted to go after them, but when he started getting up from his chair, Kael grabbed his arm and shook his head.His eyes were wide, and he looked spooked.
“Let them leave,” he murmured.
“You heard what they were saying.They’re up to something.”
“Yeah, and they leave town to do it.They’re going outside to work with humans.That’s against the rules.”
“Which is why we should tell someone.”
“Do you know who they are?Do you even know what they look like?Because I don’t know about you, but the answer to both those questions is no for me.I couldn’t describe them, and you don’t know for sure what they were talking about.There’s nothing to tell anyone.”
Nymon frowned.Kael wasn’t wrong, but at the same time, it also felt wrong not to do anything about it.What if those two demons were planning something nefarious?What if Kael and Nymon were the only people who could stop them because they were the only people who knew something was going on?
The look in Kael’s eyes told Nymon that he wouldn’t do anything about it.He was afraid, like always when something threatened his life here.Nymon understood why.
He just didn’t agree.
* * * *
TEX STARED AT THE SEEMINGLYempty area in front of him.When Gregory had told him that he wanted to take the job, he hadn’t expected to have to do it so quickly.Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but Tex didn’t like being rushed when he worked.
But being rushed, he was.He was standing in front of Starhaven, even though he couldn’t see the town.He just knew it was there somewhere, hidden by magic.Luckily for him, Gregory had planned everything.Clearly, he’d known that Tex wouldn’t say no when he asked him to do the job.He’d still given Tex a choice, and Tex had done exactly what Gregory had expected him to do.
Hence why he was standing there, staring at what looked like nothing but trees and nature.
He knew he had to be careful, even though he couldn’t see the town.He’d followed the instructions that Gregory had given him, which he’d apparently gotten from a demon who used to live here.Tex had been curious, but it hadn’t been the right time to ask questions.He would when he could, but he wished he knew what to expect.The only thing he knew was how to get into town, which was all he needed right now.
He had a job to do.His car was parked behind him, hidden, and hopefully it would stay that way until he was done gathering information.The info Gregory had given him said to ignore what he was seeing and walk into the forest, and that he’d find himself in town.He hoped that was true.He didn’t want to get lost or run face-first into a tree.
Tex went back to his car.He couldn’t get into the village in his human form.It would be too easy for someone to spot him, and if they did, they’d know he didn’t belong.He was a shifter, and as such, he looked human.The same couldn’t be said about demons, which meant he’d stand out like a sore thumb.He might still stand out a bit in his wolf form because they weren’t native to this area, but people would probably think he was a big dog or something like that.Hopefully, no one would see him at all, and he’d be able to sneak around.It was why he was there.
He quickly stripped and put away his clothes.Once he had, he put his phone and a few other things into a pouch, then hung it around his neck.He locked the car and took a step back, wanting to make sure it was as hidden as possible.He hoped that even if a demon was to see it, they wouldn’t think anything weird about it.From what he’d been told, a lot of people enjoyed hiking through these woods.He wasn’t sure how that worked with Starhaven hidden in the middle of it, but he supposed he was about to find out.
His car was as secure as it was ever going to be, and there was nothing else for him to do here.The sooner he did his job, the sooner he could go home, so he shifted.
